Dietetic Internship

Welcome to the Dietetic Internship website at Cal Poly, we appreciate your interest in one of the leading dietetic internships in the country. The internship is housed in Cal Poly's Food Science and Nutrition Department and has rotation sites in two counties on the California Central Coast: San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara.

We are proud to have a 100% one-year pass rate on the Registration Examination for Dietitians.

Concentration: Wellness Promotion

Location and settings

San Luis Obispo

Cal Poly is located in the city of San Luis Obispo, a community of about 47,000, which is in an area of extraordinary natural beauty and the county is home to one of California's most popular attractions, Hearst Castle. San Luis Obispo has a delightful downtown with great dining, shops, nightlife, arts center, Mission Plaza, historical walking tours, world-class performing arts center, and many excellent wineries. Beautiful beaches are located only ten minutes away.

Santa Barbara

The internship also offers rotation sites in Santa Barbara, which is world famous for its breathtaking setting. The dramatic mix of mountains, valleys, beaches, islands and ocean define its natural beauty. Santa Barbara has world-class performances of music, opera, dance and theater year round. It is also one of the top five art colonies in the west. It has many restaurants, first-rate golf, tennis, polo, horseback riding, cycling, hiking and many water sports.

Number of Interns

For the class of 2019-2020, we will admit ten interns; seven interns will be placed in San Luis Obispo County and three will be placed in Santa Barbara County.

Want to Learn More about the Cal Poly Dietetic Internship?

Plan to attend one of our Virtual Open House sessions!

We'll provide detailed information about the program and the application process, and several current interns will discuss their internship experiences and answer your questions.

You are encouraged (though not required) to register ahead of time for the open houses you plan to attend. If you register by no later than the day before the session, you will receive a reminder about the Open House on the day of the webinar.

We hope you can join us!

Follow us on Instagram or Twitter!

We post insider tips and reminders about our application process as well as share lots of pictures highlighting our interns' experiences at their supervised practice sites and beyond.

The Cal Poly DI and the Road to Becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

In order to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), individuals must:

Complete a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree

Complete required coursework and earn a Verification Statement from a Didactic Program in Dietetics accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Complete an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program

Pass the national registration examination for dietitians administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)

When applicable, apply for state licensure

The Cal Poly DI is an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program; students who complete our internship are eligible to take the registration examination and after passing the exam may use the registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) credential.

For more information on the steps to becoming a registered dietitian nutritionist, please click here.